New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Capitalism: A Love Story, The Invention of Lying, Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D, Whip It, and Zombieland

September is over, October has begun, and we all know what October brings, right? That’s right, Halloween. That said, this first week of October brings the first horror film of the season. Yes, I know that we have had a few horror films recently, but October is the real horror month and this is the Halloween season. Unfortunately, we do not get a Halloween movie, but we do have yet another Saw in a few weeks. I know, exciting.

Capitalism: A Love Story. (2009, 127 minutes, R, documentary) The “most dangerous filmmaker in Hollywood,” Michael Moore is back with a new film. That dangerous tag is not something I buy into, but he is nothing if not an interesting documentarian. I cannot lay claim to being a fan, but his movies are immensely watchable and always offer up some things to talk about afterward. This film takes Moore back to his corporate roots and looks at the controls of business and seeks to find where our money went.

The Invention of Lying. (2009, 99 minutes, PG-13, comedy) Ricky Gervais is one funny guy. If you have any doubt, look him up on YouTube, or just watch the original UK The Office, you can even check out Ghost Town. Now Gervais is returning to the big screen with what looks to be another winner. This story is set in a world where no one lies, well, no one until Gervais cracks the first one. Aside from that, I have no idea what this film is about. I see that he has a date with Jennifer Garner, but that is about it. Still, it looks pretty darn funny. I hope it actually is.

Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D. (2009, 172 minutes, G, animated comedy) Let’s take a journey into Pixar’s past. The 1990s brought two of their most celebrated works, including their original computer animated feature. Now, the company has gone back to those classics and re-worked them into Disney Digital 3D and is releasing them as a double feature. Is it possible to improve on them? I am eager to find out. It will be interesting to see what it is like to wear those 3D glasses for such a long time. Could this be a test of endurance before the arrival of Avatar?

Whip It. (2009, 111 minutes, PG-13, comedy) Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this coming of age tale. Ellen Page stars as Bliss, a young girl in a small town, trapped in her mother’s world of conformity and beauty pageants. She sees an opportunity to rebel in the form of roller derby. She lies to her folks about her new hobby until the inevitable happens. The movie looks like a lot of fun.

Zombieland. (2009, 81 minutes, R, horror/comedy) Here is the movie I am most looking forward to seeing this weekend. The film is set in a world overrun with zombies who are not exactly friendly. Jesse Eisenberg plays a shy young man who teams with the considerably less shy character played by Woody Harrelson on the zombie hunt. They eventually team with Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone on their adventures. The trailers look excellent and I am expecting a good time, although I am a little worried about that 81-minute run time.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

Afterschool

More than a Game

A Serious Man

Box Office Predictions
Will I be able to predict a fickle public’s taste for this weekend? Like always, I am not sure, but will give it the old college try. I know what I would like to see on top, but will it make it there? Well, that is the big question. I do think that the winner of the past two weeks will fall, but I think it is going to be close.